A LOCAL historian has provided residents with the opportunity to take a step back in time through the compilation of years of research.
The passionate foundation member of the Mount Gambier Heritage Group has documented the city’s most fascinating subdivisions.
Jan Mayell has published her second book “A Sense of Place: Book Two” – focusing on the period from the 1880s to the 1910s follows Ms Mayell’s previous work, highlighting subdivisions from the 1840s to the 1870s.
“The book continues the theme of Mount Gambier’s identified heritage places, their history and the inhabitants that have been recorded from the time of construction to the present day,” Ms Mayell said.
The author was initially interested in writing the books to preserve and document the city’s history following the demolition of several heritage properties in Mount Gambier in the 1980s.
Ms Mayell, who also worked closely alongside photographic historian Les Hill for many years collating history, was a foundation member of the Mount Gambier Heritage Group.
The group worked to change the council’s mindset over the need to retain heritage architecture.
“The book will provide an insight into the pattern of early development and the foresight of those early pioneers,” Ms Mayell said.
“It will also assist heritage home owners to learn about the rich history of their properties.”
The local history lover said she enjoyed discovering who was involved with the subdivisions of the city while writing the book.
Around three decades of research has been compiled by Ms Mayell and she hopes the community appreciates the work put into the book and for readers to use it as a trusted reference point.
While Ms Mayell has dedicated her time to researching Mount Gambier’s history, the author will now turn her focus to preserving history closer to home while living in Port Douglas.
“Now retired, I have moved to Port Douglas and in the future I hope to discover my own family history,” she said.
The book is available at Collins Booksellers Mount Gambier.
